The present disclosure is in the technical field of eyewear (prescription and non-prescription, regular glasses and sunglasses) with interchangeable lenses. Eyeglasses are well known in the art for correcting impaired vision. Lenses are typically secured to a frame via a screw or other semi-permanent connection. An eyeglass wearer wishing to remove lenses from the frame of his or her eyeglasses must disassemble the frame, which typically requires the use of an appropriate sized screwdriver or other tool. This makes lens removal burdensome and time-consuming for most eyeglass wearers.
Other removable lens configurations, such as snap-fit lenses that are typically inserted into the frame from the front side of the frame (i.e., that side of the frame furthest from the face) have no special structure or adaptation to facilitate mounting of the snap-fit lenses. Moreover, the snap-fit lenses, split rims, and frames with removable temple pieces may also be cumbersome to remove as they typically require a considerable amount of force to be applied to install and remove the lenses. This makes lens installation and removal particularly difficult for those with impaired fine motor skills. Applying the requisite force may also result in damage to the lenses or frame.
The varying dimensions of prescription lenses further complicate the development of an interchangeable eyeglass lens system. Typically, frames must be altered to secure lenses of varying dimensions, e.g., thicknesses. If an eyeglass wearer's prescription changes and thereby requiring a new lens of a different thickness, the frame used with the old prescription lenses may be incompatible with the new prescription lenses.
Thus a need exists for an improved, easy-to-use, interchangeable and/or removable eyeglass lens that overcomes these problems and others in a manner that is effective and inexpensive, while simultaneously providing desired style and aesthetical appeal.